Introduction - How populism transforms representative democracy

19 important questions on Introduction - How populism transforms representative democracy

What do populists do when they come to power?

They attack mainstream parties and politicians and reconfirm their identification with the people.

What kind of democratic results does populism construct?

Representative democracy is the environment in which populist develop and its target.

What does Nadia Urbinati try to show with the book 'me the people'?

Populism springs from within representative democracy and wants to construct its own representative people and government.
  • Higher grades + faster learning
  • Never study anything twice
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Discover Study Smart

The diarchic theory of representative democracy makes two claims, which are:

1: Will and opinion are the two powers of the sovereign citizens.
2) They are different in principle and should remain distinct in practice.

What characterizes the new mixed regime of populism?

Direct representation. Speaking for and to the people without intermediaries.

What is another key aspect of populism?

The direct relationship that the leader establishes and maintains with the people. This blurs the democratic diarchy. They argue that constitutional democracy has failed to ensure all citizens to have equal power.

What makes populism different from demagoguery?

In ancient direct democracy, demagoguery had an immediate law-making impact because the assembly was a sovereign. Populism develops within a state, where the sovereign is an abstract principle.

Why does Nadia Urbinati not agree with conventional wisdom which calls populism 'illiberal democracy'?

A democracy that infringes basic political rights is not democracy at all.

How do proponents of populism use the concept of liberally hyphened democracy?

They claim populism is democracy at its highest and that the liberal part limits democracy's endogenous strength.

In what three ways is populism impatient with democratic diarchy?

1) Defers exclusively to the winning majority to solve disagreements within society. 2) Tends to shatter the mediation of institutions. 3) Constructs a representation of the people but is exclusionary of another part.

What form of representation do populist try to construct?

Getting rid of party government, get rid of political establishment, impose compromises. Direct relationship between leader and the 'good' people.

Why are populists impatient with partisan division?

Transmutation of the procedural conception of the people into a proprietor.

What are the policy implications of populism?

May be protectionist ambitions but can also be libertarian claims.

What would be the ultimate succes of populism?

The replacement of the procedural meaning of the people, and the replacement of the principled generality of the law with a socially substantive meaning and law that only expresses the will of a part.

Populism does not appeal to sovereignty of the people as a general principle but as?

It is a radical reaffirmation of the heartland that represents an idealized conception of community.

What is the danger of the possessive conception of politics?

The risk of arriving at solutions that are close to fascism. Yes, it is a democratic phenomenon but to its limits.

How do populism and democracy relate to each other?

Populism is structurally marked by a radical and programmatic partiality in interpreting the people and the majority. They live and die together, populism is the extreme border of constitual democracy.

How is populism a response current democracies?

It manifestations are contextual and dependent on the political, social and religious culture. It is a transformation of representative democracy.

What is the distinction between populism as a popular movement and populism as a ruling power?

Popular movements may involve rhetoric but not have a project of populist power. Populist approaches which seek to conquer representative institutions want to reshape society to their ideology.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo